Chapter Four: Encounter at the Drunken Fragrance Pavilion

As several plates were nearly empty, Qin Xiaomo mused to herself, “Truly, the price is justified—the skill is no worse than my own.” With her chopsticks, she scraped up the last morsels while calculating how to escape.

Suddenly, Bai Ji approached, bill in hand.

“Esteemed customer, were you satisfied with your meal?”

“It was all right,” Qin Xiaomo replied, feigning indifference.

“Would you care to order anything else?”

Thinking she needed to get rid of him, Qin Xiaomo said, “Bring me a serving of braised lion’s head and fried prawns with oil. I’ll take them to go.”

“Very good, miss. That will be one hundred and two taels of silver; I’ll round it down to a hundred.” Bai Ji stood firm, tray in hand, waiting for payment.

“Go tell the kitchen first; I’ll look for my money while you’re gone. By the time you’re back, I’ll have it ready.” Qin Xiaomo gestured toward the kitchen.

“Miss, it is the policy of this establishment that no one may leave without settling their bill. Otherwise…” Bai Ji pointed calmly to a bright red notice on the wall:

“There is no credit or tab at this inn. Any who dine without paying will be sold into servitude here until the debt is repaid. Should the sum be especially large, the inn reserves the right to sell the individual at its discretion.”

“How much constitutes a ‘large sum’?” Qin Xiaomo asked, attempting to sound conciliatory.

Bai Ji held up five fingers and waved them before her.

“Five hundred taels?”

He shook his head.

“Five thousand taels?”

Again, he shook his head.

“How much, then?” Qin Xiaomo asked, her patience wearing thin.

“Five taels.”

“Robbers! This is daylight robbery! What did I order? Shredded potato, scrambled eggs with tomato, cold cucumber, a big bowl of wontons—I didn’t even dare ask for scallions! And you want a hundred taels for that? Where is the justice, where are the rules of the jianghu? You’re nothing but slavers in disguise!” Qin Xiaomo was so furious she was nearly hopping with rage.

On the ground floor, the other patrons began to glance over, whispering among themselves and clearly disapproving of the inn’s rules.

Bai Ji seemed long accustomed to such scenes. He waited until Qin Xiaomo finished her tirade before replying in a slow, unhurried voice, “Miss, you must be an outsider. Let me explain: here in Mirror Void City, the dishes you ordered are the most expensive. The soil here is poor, and vegetables rarely bear fruit. All the cucumber, tomato, and so on are transported fresh over long distances, using fine steeds and ice to keep them fresh.”

“All right, enough! It’s just money!” Qin Xiaomo pretended to reach for her purse, then suddenly bolted for the door. She had barely taken half a step before a large hand seized her collar.

“Knew you’d try to run.” Bai Ji effortlessly pinched her collar between two fingers.

“Hey, hey, hey—let’s talk this out!” Qin Xiaomo flailed her hands around her collar, but she was so petite that her blows landed on Bai Ji’s arm as if she were merely tickling him.

At that moment, two burly men approached. One lifted her by the legs, the other by the arms.

“Put me down! You’re carrying me like a pig! Don’t I have any dignity?” Qin Xiaomo squirmed frantically. “Where are you taking me?”

“Why, to the holding cell, of course, until the master decides what to do with you.”

In her moment of crisis, Qin Xiaomo suddenly remembered that Qian Mubai was also in the inn. She’d gone to great lengths to make him the apex predator in the food chain—surely he owed her a little something. Gritting her teeth, she decided to gamble.

“Wait! I have a way to pay!” she shouted.

Bai Ji waved for them to set her down. “And how do you propose to pay?”

“Just wait—a benefactor will bring me the money!” Qin Xiaomo yelled loudly toward the second floor, “Qian Mubai! I know you’re up there! If you don’t want your greatest secret revealed, you’d better come down and pay my bill. Otherwise, I can’t guarantee what I might say!” She stared fixedly at a window, but there was no response.

In the Heaven Room upstairs, a deep, magnetic voice tinged with gentleness and icy sharpness, as if it had lain frozen for a thousand years, asked, “Who is causing such a commotion downstairs?” Qian Mubai sipped his tea unhurriedly.

“Master, it’s a woman. I don’t know who she is; I’ll investigate at once,” replied Jiang Wei, who seemed to materialize from nowhere, dressed in a dark blue, close-fitting tunic and trousers.

“No need. Take her away and deal with her quietly.” They spoke of life and death as if discussing the weather.

“Yes, sir.” Jiang Wei bowed and slipped out silently.

Downstairs, Qin Xiaomo and Bai Ji were still at an impasse.

“Take her away, quickly. Don’t disturb our second-floor guests,” Bai Ji ordered.

“Let’s see who dares lay a finger on me! I am Qian Mubai’s woman!” Qin Xiaomo thought to herself that in desperation, one would say anything, shame be damned.

The attendants hesitated. The crowd grew, buzzing with speculation about her identity. Many women looked on with sympathy—for Qian Mubai’s reputation in Mirror Void City was one of ugliness, disability, and general uselessness.

Qin Xiaomo turned again to the second floor. “Qian Mubai, I know you’re there! Don’t just hide in your room! Open the door, open the door, stop hiding. I know you’re there!”

Still, there was no sign from above.

“If you won’t come out, fine! Don’t regret it when I speak!” Qin Xiaomo pinched her arm hard inside her sleeve, tears springing to her eyes from the pain. She hurriedly cried out, “Dear friends, I didn’t come here today to dine and dash. I ended up here because in the Qian household, I went hungry and cold. In time, I was cast out, despised and abandoned. Now, with nowhere to turn, I discovered just days ago that I am carrying his child. Alone, weak, with no means to fend for myself, I can only wander in search of him, hoping he will take pity on us—an orphaned mother and unborn child…”

She wiped away two streaks of bitter tears. The crowd began to curse Qian Mubai under their breath; some even handed her a few scattered coins for travel expenses, urging her to leave this wretched place. Yet among them, a few clear-headed doubted that someone as useless as Qian Mubai could be responsible for such a thing.

Just as Qin Xiaomo was about to continue, a shout rang out from beyond the crowd: “Wait!”

The throng parted to let the new arrival through.

“And you are?” Bai Ji’s voice remained cool and indifferent.

“Who I am doesn’t matter. I’m taking her with me,” Jiang Wei declared, his voice not loud but ringing with authority.

“She still owes us a hundred taels. Unless you are willing to settle her bill, you cannot take her,” Bai Ji replied, holding the account book out to Jiang Wei.

Jiang Wei pressed his thin lips into a firm line, his brow furrowing as he fixed Bai Ji with an intense stare. The intimidating pressure caused those near him to unconsciously step back. Bai Ji, however, remained unmoved, showing no trace of emotion, as if he hadn’t noticed the formidable aura.

Jiang Wei sized Bai Ji up anew, keen to discern his origins, but found no clues. Were it not for his master’s wish to avoid a scene, he would have liked to test his skills against this strange attendant.

After a brief standoff, Jiang Wei pulled a pouch from his robe and tossed it to Bai Ji. “Here’s a hundred taels.”

Bai Ji had been about to block him, but as he glimpsed the golden embroidery of the Prince’s insignia on the inside collar of Jiang Wei’s garment, he instantly understood.

Qin Xiaomo suddenly felt like a piece of meat on a butcher’s block. She couldn’t go on like this; she had to find a way to escape. Especially since this newcomer was clearly no one to trifle with.

In the blink of an eye, Jiang Wei whisked Qin Xiaomo away, leaving not a trace behind. Bai Ji frowned, staring intently in the direction they had vanished, lost in thought.